L E S S I N G. 



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L*ng. previously been written by his friend Mylius. In 1753 

 *'^~f~ m * and 1"51, he published an edition of his miscellaneous 

 writings in 4 vols. l'2mo, which were well received, 

 and contributed to extend his reputation. Berlin was 

 at this period the residence of a considerable number 

 of those men, to whose talents the literature of Ger- 

 many has been most eminently indebted. Of this num- 

 ber were Moses Mendelssohn, the celebrated Jewish 

 philosopher, Nicolai, the printer. Rambler, the poet, 

 Sa' *er, the philosopher and critic, Siissmilch, the statis- 

 tical writer, and several others of distinguished repu- 

 tation. From the charms of this literary society, Les- 

 sing retired for s while to Potsdam, with the view of 

 completing hi tragedy, entitled. Mitt Sarah Saim-ton. 

 ThU was the first specimen of the tragi-dii bourgeoite 

 which had appeared in Germany. It was received with 

 great applause when first acted at Frankfort on the 

 Oder, and was afterwards performed with the same 

 success, on various other theatres It was also 

 translated into the Italian, French, and Danish Ian- 



In 1755, he went to Leipsic. Here he was intro- 

 duced to M. Winkler, a young man of fortune, who 

 engaged him as the companion of his travels. Their 

 journey, however, extended no farther than Amster- 

 dam ; for M. Winkler having received intelligence of 

 the irruption of the Prussians into Saxony, thought pro- 

 per to return home. Lessing now occupied himself, 

 for tome time, in translating several works from the 

 English; and in composing a volume of original fables, 

 in the manner of .itsop. In 1757, he became associat- 

 ed with Moses Mendelssohn and Nicolai, in the publi- 

 cation of a periodical work, entitled, The Library of the 

 BrlUt Isttr.-s, containing a review of works in polite 

 literature, with original correspondence He now re- 

 turned once more to Berlin, and published his tragedy, 

 PUlotat* One of the mot remarkable fruits of the in- 

 timacy that subsisted between Leasing, Mendelssohn, 

 and N'icolai, waa the joint production of the letters on 

 literature; a work which acquired great celebrity, and 

 which contributed perhaps more than any other publi- 

 cation to form the taste and style of the German wri- 

 ter*. About the same time, Lessing published three 

 fcoofct of fable* in prose, to which he prefixed a treatise 

 on the theory of the fable. In 1760, he was elected 

 an honorary member of the Berlin Academy of .Sci- 

 ences. . 



Lining now entered upon a new scene. Without 

 giving the slightest notice, even to the most intimate 

 of bis friends, he set out for Breslau, as secretary to 

 the Prussian General von Tanenzien. This appoint- 

 ment, which he had been induced to accept on account 

 of his health, gave him an opportunity of acquiring 

 ore knowledge of the world. He became acquainted 

 with almost all the officers of the Prussian army, in the 

 even year*' war . hut, unfortunately, his military as- 

 sociate* gave him a Uste for gaming, which impeded 

 the progress of hit literary pursuit*. In the year 1765, 

 he returned to Berlin, and resumed his former mode of 

 life. He now publi*hed his I^aocoon, :i treatixe on the 

 limit* of poetry ami painting, for which he had col- 

 lected the material* during his residence at I)n*iau. 

 In \~ti6, he received an invitation from a society of 

 lover* of the drama at Hamburgh, who made him ad- 

 vantageous proposal* for hi assistance in endeavouring 

 to improve the theatre in that city. This invit ition he 

 accepted, and arcorHiiifly repaired to Han-!'" f;b in 

 1767 Here he commenced hu Hamburgh Dramalur- 



VOL. XII. fABT II. 



gy, a weekly paper, which was afterwards published in 1- 

 two volumes, 8vo. forming a mass of valuable dramatic s "" 

 criticism. 



Lessing's circumstances, however, were still very li- 

 mited, and his prospects so little encouraging, that he 

 had resolved to sell all his effects, and go to reside in 

 Italy ; where he fortunately met with a patron in Leo- 

 pold, the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, through 

 whose influence he was appointed librarian at Wolfen- 

 buttel, and received the title of Aulic Councillor. Here 

 he found ample materials for the gratification of his li- 

 terary curiosity. A few days after he had begun to 

 discharge the duties of his new office, he discovered an 

 important MS., the existence of which had been doubt- 

 ed, viz. the work of Berengarius of Tours, in which 

 he refutes Lanfranc's book on transubotantiation. This 

 work he intended to have published, had he met with 

 encouragement. In 1771, he commenced an improved 

 edition of his miscellaneous writings ; of which, how. 

 ever, only the first volume appeared in his own life- 

 time. In \11\>., his popular tragedy, entitled Emilia, 

 Ga/olli, was performed for the first time at Brunswick, 

 and soon afterwards upon all the other German thea- 

 tres. In the exercise of his functions, as librarian, 

 he commenced a periodical work, under the title of 

 Contributions lo history and literature, /Km tkr trea- 

 sures of the ducal library at Wolj'enbulld, of which the- 

 firt number appeared in 1773. 



The state ot his health, at this period, induced him to 

 undertake a journey to Berlin and Vienna ; where he 

 was received with very flattering attention. At Vien- 

 na, he became acquainted with a lady of great intellec- 

 tual accomplishments, the widow of a merchant, with 

 whom he united himself by marriage. Having accom- 

 panied the hereditary prince of Brunswick in a journey 

 to Italy, he returned, after an absence of eight months. 

 From thi* period he devoted himself chiefly to polemi- 

 cal divinity, and published the Frogmen's of an ano- 

 nymous Writer, discovered in Ike Library at Wotfenbut- 

 tet ; which involved him in a controversy with some of 

 the German theologians, and ultimately occasioned the 

 suppression of the Contributions, by the interference of 

 the Consistory. His next publication was that singu- 

 lar drama. Nath'in the IVise, a piece which has been 

 sometimes represented on the stage, but which is more 

 calculated for the closet. The last effort of his pen. 

 consisted of a treatise On the Education of the Human 

 Race. His health had been for some time in a decli- 

 ning state ; and his constitution being at length com- 

 pletely exhausted, he expired on the 1 5th of February, 

 1781, in the 5,'vl year of his age. 



Lessing i generally considered as one of the most 

 able and original writers whom Germany has produ- 

 ced. In his youth he had been an indefatigable stu- 

 dent, which supplied him with a large stock of acquir- 

 ed knowledge. He possessed strong natural abili- 

 ties, and his mind was ever actively engaged in litera- 

 ry and philosophical inquiries. As a poet, he is more 

 remarkable for correctness than brilliancy of fancy. 

 His dramatic pieces were by h'.s own confession, the 

 offspring of laborious effort, combined with critical' 

 knowledge, rather than of any original talent for that 

 species of writing. It is in his prose writings that the 

 vigour of his genius is most conspicuous. These abound 

 in able disquisition, profound and original remarks, and 

 criticism at once judicious and acute. In thii last re- 

 spect, indeed, he deserves to be placed high m the 

 ranks of literature, as one of the most eminent critics 



